Ear Cleaner

[heff101]

What is the best product/method to use to clean my Bully's ears?
He tends to have one ear get dirty (brown gunky) allot more then the other.
When I had him neutered a few weeks back the vet cleaned his ears and then we had to apply an antibiotic gel into each ear for 7 days after. I still find he has dirty ears.
Is a store bought cleaner as good as one from the vet?

 

[BruceP]

We use the VET brand we got from Gracie's vet on the recommendation of others here.

 

[bullmama]

I personally think the stuff at the vet is better. It must have the right agents in it to break down the dirt and wax, and not promote ear infections.

I clean my bully's ears on Sundays, and they never have any dirt hardly at all. It is also important to be sure to clean them after a bath- just in case a bit of water got in- but you should plug the ears during bathtime with cotton- but just in case it is always good.

I squirt an ample amount of VET solution into the ear and massage. They will want to shake it out, so if you are trying to get both ears at the same time do it FAST!

Then I massage both ears for about 30 seconds and then wipe them out with cotton. It is best do this out doors because they will shake their heads and solution will fly.

Then wipe again after the good head shake!

 

[heff101]

Thanks I was leaning towards the vet one myself.

 

[KMARINO]

A also use the vet ear cleaner and it smells like cucumber melon, it works fantastic and he smells good. As desertskybulldogs said, I do it outside as well, after massaging it in Vegas will shake his head and it goes flying! Then I take a baby wipe a little bit later and just wipe out the gunk/

 

[sheila]

i feel silly for asking, but how much do you squirt in? i'm afraid i'd put too much and it wouldn't dry.

 

[bullmama]

I used to think the same thing cuz my vet like 16 years ago told me to plug the ears with cotton and never let water in the ears.

It wasn't until about 6 years later with my allergy girl Sarah- who had bad yeast in her ears- that a new vet showed me how to do it. I also questioned it- said I thought no water in the ears- but he told me it was not water, and it would dry. I suppose it is like alcohol based. It made a huge amount of difference!! I was shocked, but I have never had a bully ear infection since, by taking these two precautions. I think the cotton in the ears at bathtime is a huge factor in preventing infections, along with cleaning them afterwards.

 

[sheshistory]

To clean the boys ears, I use long Q-Tips and remove excess wax. After that, I use Glenhaven ear wash that I get from our vet. It's not very expensive and goes a long way. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties and smells pretty good. After I wash their ears with that solution, I wipe out the excess and any wax on the outer ear with a baby wipe. Finally, if it looks like there is a wax build up or anything else suspicious, I'll administer a few drop of Conofite, an inexpensive antifungal agent you can get at the vet. I usually do this at least once a week but more if the ears look dirty.

If you recall, Linus had incredibly bad ear infections for awhile and a change in diet made a big difference but I'm a stickler for keeping them clean and preventing future infections.

 

[kazzy220]

We haven't had any ear infections since we switched to Fromm so I really do believe that a good food choice is the first step. We use a 50/50 solution of apple cider vinegar and water to clean the ears about once every couple of weeks. I wipe out the outer part of their ear with baby wipes every couple of days - I don't like sticking it too far into the ear.

 

[heff101]

Ok so picked up some ear cleaner from the vet and here is what he told me about it.

Apply about a dime size in each ear. Massage ear to work in and if the dog wishes to shake his head then let him. After wards wipe out ears with a baby wipe.
He also told me to not do it to often as the more you clean them the more wax they will produce.